Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Date of Submission

2025-05-19

Advisor

Dr. Ismat Abbas, Assistant Professor SSLA - SESS

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

cognitive functioning, adolescents, COVID-19, socioeconomic status

Abstract

This study investigates the potential influence of COVID-19 infection severity on cognitive functioning in adolescents (ages 18-19), exploring the moderating role of socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesized that adolescents diagnosed with a symptomatic COVID-19 infection will show decreased cognitive functioning compared to those who were diagnosed with an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. To investigate this, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey was utilized which contained three scales: COVID-19 Severity, Cognitive Assessment Questionnaire and Socioeconomic Status. The participants were recruited using convenience sampling from A level colleges and undergraduate universities in Karachi, Pakistan, out of which 99 respondents were eligible to take part in the study. The data collected was analyzed using independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s Correlation and a hierarchical regression analysis. The results yielded that there was a positive correlation between COVID-19 severity and these cognitive functioning scores, indicating that greater infection severity was associated with poorer cognitive functioning. However, socioeconomic status did not significantly moderate this relationship. The decline in cognitive functioning after contracting COVID-19 in a symptomatic form can have implications for academic performance, social interactions, and overall well-being for adolescents. The results of this study bring to attention the need to consider the potential long-term cognitive impact COVID-19 through longitudinal studies and investigating the relationship between infection severity and cognitive functioning in other age groups.

Pages

65

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